"The back half of the New York Film Festival delivered a secret screening of a solid Academy Award contender, the box office smacked down a Venice Film Festival award winner, and two major contenders in the acting fields up and switched their categories. The pace of October so far makes me feel like I'm in some kind of Safdie movie. More specifically, some kind of Josh Safdie movie."
"With an opening-weekend tally of just over $6 million, Benny Safdie's Dwayne Johnson-starring movie was a disappointment. Whether you chalk that up to the last-minute entry of Taylor Swift into movie theaters or surprise that MMA fans aren't in the habit of venturing outside of the home for their kicky-punchy entertainment, the reality is that global superstar The Rock's serious-drama Oscars hopeful has stumbled out of the gate."
"Reviews for its Venice premiere were fairly mixed, but that was capped off by a surprise Best Director prize from the festival for Benny Safdie. With major film critics similarly divided on the film, a strong box-office opening could have really tipped the balance in the film's favor. Instead, The Smashing Machine got cleared by the second weekend of One Battle After Another and placed behind several other A24 films from this year."
October brought swift movement in the 2025-2026 Oscars season, including a secret New York Film Festival screening, a Venice winner faltering at the box office, and major acting contenders switching categories. Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine opened to just over $6 million, disappointing expectations and facing competition from unexpected releases and at-home viewing habits among MMA fans. Venice reviews were mixed, though Benny Safdie won a Best Director prize. Critics remain divided, and the film underperformed relative to other recent A24 releases, yet Oscar history with boxing dramas provides a possible avenue for awards momentum.
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